Archives for March 2015

If you’re like us, coffee t shirts are gradually replacing the band shirts you really liked in college. But we’re willing to bet your wardrobe is missing a compass made from everybody’s favorite grinder, the Mahlkönig EK43. This beauty was designed by Birmingham-based designer Ryan Harrison and is printed on a gray 50/50 American Apparel shirt. All of the profits are going towards funding coffee farmers on Kiva, a micro-finance organization that offers zero-interest loans to individuals who don’t have access to more conventional sources of funding. We can’t think of a more worthy candidate than those hard working farmers that make our morning cup possible. For more information just fill out our contact form with the subject line “t shirt”.

One of the benefits of having a coffee website is that occasionally people send you free things in exchange for publicly sharing your opinion. Recently Cafe Deluxe sent us one of their 1 liter French presses, and we’ve enjoyed testing it over the last couple of weeks. …

By Eli Keel

Blueprint is a young company that’s already making a name for themselves, in part by their willingness to show up in strange places and offer people a chance to taste their wares.

Blueprint makes a point of getting out on the road once every couple of months; “It’s fun to get out and meet people and get direct feedback,” said Brian Levine. Levine is one of the six co-owners of Blueprint. Along with Mike Marquard and Kevin Reddy, a full half of Blueprint’s partners were in attendance.

Blueprint likes to keep their line small and diverse. At the cupping they showcased all five of their roasts.

All their coffee’s are single origins; two from Columbia, one each from Ecuador, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and a decaf from Guatemala.

Co-owner Mike Marquard said a few words before the cupping began, asking if we had any newbies in our midst, and then declared that the noobs were now officially “coffee nerds.”

While no poll was taken, many of the tasters (including myself) gravitated towards the Columbian coffee. “El Derrumbo” had a strong bright taste that managed to avoid an outright acidty.

The author, contemplating the complexities of a finely roasted coffee.

The attendees showcased a broad swathe of Louisville coffee culture, including (unofficial) representatives from Argo Sons, Quills, Heine Brothers, and of course the hosts from McQuixote. This may speak to an emerging Louisville coffee culture that can focus on beans and love of the craft just as much as market share.

While Blueprint has no current plans to infiltrate the Louisville market, partner Brian Levine has family here, so they will hopefully bring their excellent coffee back for another tasting next time they are out and about the mid-south.

A good grind is all about the burr. The bigger the burr set, the more consistent the grind. For example, the Baratza Virtuoso has a 40 mm burr set for $229 while the OE Lido 2 has a 48 mm burr for $175.00. Essentially, with a hand grinder you get more burr for less dough.

2. Hand grinders are great for traveling.

Take it from someone who has flown cross-country with a Mahlkönig K30 Twin as a carry-on- it’s not a lot of fun to travel with an electric grinder. Not only will an electric grinder take up most of your bag, but airport security will think…

The thought has crossed the mind of every serious coffee nerd: Can I roast my own coffee? We’ve debated it enough times that when we first stumbled upon a picture of the Huky 500, we were infatuated. The device looked like something between a hotrod and a spaceship – a vehicle to a new world of coffee knowledge and experience. When we found out roasting guru Joe Marrocco owns and endorses the Huky 500, we didn’t need anymore incentive to empty our piggy banks and place the order.

The Huky 500 is fabricated by Kuanho Li in Taiwan. Mr. Li does not have a website, just an email address. Judging by the serial number on our Huky, that …

Home coffee enthusiast Chris Heiniger lifted the Gold Aeropress at the 2015 Eastern Aeropress Championship, but the competition featured too many creative Aeropress recipes not to share a few of our favorites. Warning: you probably won’t be able to get through this post without grabbing your brewing kit and giving a few of these killer Aeropress recipes a try.